The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program’s Women’s Business Forum was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic on 21 October 2025 to address significant issues related to gender-responsive green innovation throughout Central and West Asia.
During his opening remarks, Zheng Wu, Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Kyrgyz Republic Resident Mission, underscored the potential for green innovation and technology to offer effective solutions to the complex challenges associated with both gender equality and climate change.
“Cleaner energy, climate-smart agriculture, and resilient infrastructure can reduce women’s health risks and workloads. Digital and green technologies are opening up new opportunities for women entrepreneurs, engineers, and community leaders. When women are empowered to innovate, communities become more resilient—and the benefits multiply for everyone,” he said.
Sultan Akhmatov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic, delivered opening remarks on the importance of advancing gender equality and fostering green innovation as key drivers of sustainable economic growth in the region.
With the theme Together for Green Innovation and Gender Equality, the forum brought together key experts on gender equality and green innovation, awardees of the CAREC Gender and Green Innovation Awards 2025, members of the Regional Gender Expert Group, and development partners. The event was co-organized with the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, UNDP in the Kyrgyz Republic, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), OJSC Eldik Bank, and Unison Group.
The forum was structured into four panel sessions, each co-hosted with partner organizations and featuring distinguished speakers and awardees from across the region.
Forum sessions
Session 1, co-hosted with the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, examined advancing gender and green innovation in CAREC climate pathways. In his introductory speech, Sebastian Mayer from the OSCE Academy, highlighted brief information about the OSCE Academy and its commitment to gender and green innovation. Speakers included Burulcha Sulaimanova, Head of Research and Training Department at OSCE Academy; Sadiq Syed, Country Representative of UN Women in the Kyrgyz Republic; Tara Uzra Dawood, Founder and Chairperson of Ladiesfund and CAREC individual awardee for Pakistan; and Khayala Miriyeva, CEO of Climasel, CAREC organizational awardee from Azerbaijan. The discussion was moderated by Roman Vakulchuk, visiting lecturer at OSCE Academy and Head of the Climate and Energy Group at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
Session 2, co-hosted with the EBRD, focused on financing women-led green innovation. In her introductory speech, Ayten Rustamova, Director, Regional Head for Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan at EBRD, highlighted the crucial role of women entrepreneurs in driving sustainable solutions and emphasized the importance of expanding access to finance to accelerate their green innovations.
Aside from Rustamova, panelists included Muyassar Pulotova, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Management Board at Microcredit Fund IMON, organizational awardee for Tajikistan; Nazakat Aslanova, Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer at FINCA Bank; and Maya Kobalia, Head of Environmental and Social at JSC Microbank Crystal, organizational awardee for Georgia. The session was moderated by Altynai Abdyldaeva, Gender Officer at ADB’s Kyrgyz Republic Resident Mission.
Session 3, co-hosted with the UNDP office in the Kyrgyz Republic, explored climate resilience through gender-responsive policies and green innovation. In his introductory speech, Patrick Haverman, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative for the Kyrgyz Republic, said that women, especially those in rural areas, bear the brunt of climate impact—be it water scarcity, crop failure, or land degradation.
“In the Kyrgyz Republic, where over 60% of women live in rural areas, climate shocks have direct consequences on their lives. But women are not just vulnerable, they are vital actors in climate adaption, energy transition, and green innovation. That’s why UNDP puts women at the heart of climate action,” he said.
Speakers included Corneliu Eftodi, Regional Advisor on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at UNDP Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia; Lira Zholdubaeva, UNDP Team Leader for Environment, Climate Change, and Energy; Katja Schäfer, Inter-Regional Advisor at UN-Habitat; and Jun Zhang from Shaanxi Gender Development Solution, organizational awardee from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The panel was moderated by Samantha Hung, Director of the Gender Equality Division at ADB.
Session 4, co-hosted with the OJSC Eldik Bank, highlighted climate solutions through women-led green innovation. In her introductory speech, Aichurek Zhakypova, Deputy Chairperson of the Management Board of OJSC Eldik Bank, emphasized that achieving gender equality and tackling climate change are two sides of the same transformation and are both essential for sustainable and inclusive growth.
“For Eldik Bank, participation in this Forum is more than an opportunity to share experience. It is a commitment to partnership. We believe that progress in sustainability depends on cooperation among governments, financial institutions, women leaders, and communities willing to innovate and act,” she said.
The session featured Enerelbuyan Naran, Project Coordinator at URECA, organizational awardee from Mongolia; Dilorom Fayzieva, Director of Indigo Yoshlar and individual winner for Uzbekistan; Dina Ogay, Founder and CEO from HelloEco, organizational winner from Kazakhstan; and Rookh Niaz Khan, CEO of Brainbox Syndicate, CAREC regional awardee. Moderation was provided by Nurzat Abdyrasulova, President of the Unison Group and CAREC Gender and Climate Awardee 2024.
Throughout the forum, an expo showcasing innovative green solutions led by women entrepreneurs and women’s communities across the CAREC region is also co-organized with the Unison Group.
The CAREC Women’s Business Forum is organized under the CAREC Gender Strategy 2030, which promotes women empowerment by ensuring that regional projects address women’s needs and provide equal access to benefits and opportunities.
The CAREC Gender Strategy is part of the broader CAREC Program, launched in 2001 and supported by ADB. The program brings together countries and development partners to advance development through regional cooperation in Central and West Asia.
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